As is reflected in U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,600, issued on Mar. 11, 1986, to Warren Moffett, lockable handcuffs include a fixed arcuate jaw having opposed face members and a movable arcuate jaw that is formed with a saw tooth ratchet on one side thereof. The movable arcuate jaw is pivotally attached to the fixed arcuate jaw so as to be movable relative thereto in a manner that will pass the movable jaw between the two face members. If nothing is captured between the fixed and movable jaws, the movable jaw can pivot about its pivotal connection with the fixed jaw, passing between the two face members of the fixed jaw. The handcuff also includes a locking mechanism that has a mating ratchet member with a reverse saw tooth configuration that is pivotally supported within the lock mechanism between an engagement position and a non-engagement position with the ratchet on the movable jaw. Typically, the mating ratchet member is spring-loaded into engagement with the movable jaw as the movable jaw passes by the locking mechanism. A slidable clip is movable into a double lock position in which the clip restricts the mating ratchet member from moving out of the engagement position.
In operation, the movable jaw is moved into engagement with the locking mechanism to encircle the wrist of the person to be restrained. The saw tooth pattern of the ratchet on the movable jaw and the reverse saw tooth configuration of the mating ratchet member in the lock mechanism allows the ramp portions to cam the mating ratchet member away from the movable jaw into the non-engagement position one tooth at a time with the mating ratchet member dropping into engagement position on each tooth due to the spring load on the mating ratchet member. As a result, the movable jaw can move inwardly to tighten against the wrist of the person being restrained, but cannot move outwardly to release the movable jaw from the locking mechanism due to the spring load on the mating ratchet member and the interference between the teeth on the movable jaw and the mating ratchet member.
Most handcuffs are then capable of being double-locked, which refers to a fixing of the mating ratchet member into the engagement position so that the movable jaw cannot move either inwardly or outwardly. To accomplish the double-lock operation, a slidable member, such as the movable clip shown in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,600, is moved into a position that interferes with the pivotal movement of the mating ratchet member. As long as the clip is in the interfering, or double lock, position, the mating ratchet member is secured in the engagement position and cannot yield against the cam action induced by the sliding ramps of the mating saw tooth ratchets. Accordingly, the movable jaw is fixed in the selected position and cannot be released until the clip is moved into a position that will permit a pivoting of the mating ratchet member. That movement is induced by the lock key that often is turned in one direction to first move the clip out of the interfering position and then turned in the other direction to move the mating ratchet member into the non-engagement position to allow the movable jaw to be pulled outwardly and release the wrist of the person being restrained.
As can be seen in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,600, the lock mechanism of a handcuff is located at the location where the two handcuffs are attached to one another. Thus, when applied to the wrists of the person being restrained, the lock mechanism on each handcuff is located between the corresponding wrists of the person being restrained. Accordingly, to release the handcuffs from a person being restrained, the officer bearing the lock key generally needs to be positioned directly in line with the center portions of the handcuffs to be able to access the keyhole and manipulate the locking mechanism in order to release the double-lock mechanism and the movable jaw. Furthermore, the officer's hands need to be positioned between the wrists of the person being restrained. This positioning of the officer, particularly when the hands of the person being restrained are in front of that person, raises security and safety issues. Although U.S. Pat. No. 7,062,943, granted on Jun. 20, 2006, to Kevin Parsons, et al, provides a two-sided key release mechanism for handcuffs, both keyholes are on opposite sides of the lock housing and the officer operating the handcuffs still has to reach between the restrained person's wrists to unlock the handcuffs.
An embodiment of a double lock mechanism that prevents the movable jaw of the handcuff to be further tightened on the wrist of the person being restrained is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,116. A different embodiment of a double lock mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,316,136, issued to Kevin Parsons on Jan. 8, 2008. Other double lock mechanisms are known in the art that provide a spring clip that slides into an interfering position with respect to the ratchet pawl that locks the ratchet pawl against the movable jaw of the handcuff. It would be desirable to provide a release mechanism of the double lock apparatus that can be actuated on either opposing transverse side of the lock housing so that the orientation of the handcuffs to permit access to the double lock release is not a prerequisite to the utilization of the handcuffs to restrain a person.
It would be desirable to provide a remote lock mechanism that would be positioned on the handcuff at a location that is preferably on an outer portion of the handcuff when used to secure a person being restrained so that the officer unlocking the handcuffs does not have to locate his or her hands between the wrists of the person being restrained, and does not need to stand in front of the person being restrained.